I will be spending about 2 nights and 3 days in Rome. Has anyone been to Rome recently? Who can tell me how much I can expect to pay for the basic touristy things, for example, a return trip on the train from Fuimicino airport to the City Center, a budget Rome hotel, the important Rome sightseeing things, public transportation, a few moderate meals?
June says (in response to 3 days in Rome): I would recommend the hotels along Via della concilliazione, we were at the Hotel Columbus, right by the Vatican and close to the metro - very central. And also right by the Borgo Pio which has great shops, bakeries, tratorria's etc.
The pope usually has a general audience on wednesday's - free but you need a ticket.
The Vatican museum costs 12 euros and we spent another 3 Euros at the coffee shop on the corner while we were waiting in line and took turns to run and get cofee LOL.
Postcards are around 50 cents.
When you go into the churches you will find books available for purchase - some of them are quite worth it and very interesting - usually around 5 euros. In order to light the main artwork you need to pay between 50 cents and 1 euro. Hang on to your coins as it's difficult to get change!
The Colosseum cost 10 euros (and be careful for the sharks in front who dress in roman garb and try to pose for pictures with you - I got robbed! I had nothing smaller than a 20 Euro note and so he said 5 euro's each! He was very rude and insisting, but note they are NOT part of the facililty!)
Castel sant' Angelo was 6 euros, but knowing the history beforehand made it all the more worthwhile for us.
Roasted chestnuts in Piazza Navona is a must!
For pizzas we paid between 7 and 10 euro's. Dinner was around 30 euro a person, but we had wine, starters, main course, dessert and liquors!
2-5 euros - ice cream/gelato at the piazzas (squares)
1.10 euro - candy bar
You should try to get up to the Gianicolo (Janiculum hill) and San Pietro on the Janiculum Hill, there is a church on top of the hill where they say St Peter was crucified, it's a spot that most people do Not visit as it's not the "famous" one, it was really something to see!
One thing that I like to do is carry a small journal with me everywhere and take notes, sometimes simple ones but with 6 days it can be an information overload and you don't want to miss out on remembering which picture was what. For example, on the left of the street going towards the Vatican and St Peters is a little know church called Santo Spirito, it was built in the 16th Century and Michelangelo did the ceiling - it was a hospital at one point during one of the many sieges/battles and then returned to a church, the ceiling was beautiful, but for the life of me I couldn't remember where it was once I got back home and developed my photos. Luckily I had my notes!
That's a trip down memory lane, have a lovely time, and if you are going soon then dress in layers and take a scarf or hat. and a sturdy wind proof jacket would work well.
I almost forgot... the Scala Santa right acorss from St John in Lateran, it was really something.
And remember, most places close in the afternoon at about 4Pm and the restaurants only open at 7-8pm. I took snacks and fruit and nuts to keep me going until supper time.
so there you go, that's a lot of advice for only 3 days in Rome, I hope you can manage it all :-)
Wow, enjoy, I wish it was me again!
Sue says (in response to 3 days in Rome Italy): You can have a good lunch at most street cafes in Rome for about 10 euros. It may be nothing special, just a decent lunch.
For dinner, it will most likely be at least 25 euros. The Italians I was with enjoyed having big dinners of at least 3 or 4 courses: antipasto (starters), pasta (primo), and then meat or fish (secondo), followed by dessert (dolce) and liquers.
I'm not sure about the entrance fees to the various Rome tourist attractions, but you can probably search for that on the internet. A lot of the tourist places are spread apart so you'll probably be spending quite a bit of money on public transportation and taxis.
When we (my husband and I) went to Rome, we tried to walk everywhere so it wasn't a problem for us, but the taxis can be expensive.
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3 days in Rome Italy, Marcus from Roman life Rome Italy adds:
Rome public transportation and Rome Metro
The Rome Metro costs 1 Euro per trip, but you can buy a "BIG" day ticket for 4 Euros or the "BTI" 3 day ticket for 11 Euros. Visit this page - public transportation in Rome Italy for more information on ticket prices and the other types of public transportation in Rome.
The rome metro page will give you more info about the Rome Metro.
Hotels in central Rome (also searches hostels, B&B's etc)
The hotels in central rome page will give you advice about where to be, what to check before and after your reservation etc. and this page (NB) central rome hotels and HotelsCombined will give you advice on how best use HotelsCombined.com (searches and compares prices for thousands of central Rome hotels) to get the best possible prices.
(A good source of info are the previous guests comments - they leave All coments in, good and very bad, you'll see what I mean when you read them, some of them are hilarious!)
Rome restaurants and Rome restaurant guide
The Rome restaurants page is a great guide to customs, etiquette, tipping traditions, times and types of Rome restaurants - trattorias, pizzerias, ristoranti, where to eat, what time to eat, etc.
Getting to and from Fiumicino Airport:
Your best bet is the Leonardo express (train). It costs 11 Euros/trip and departs every 30 minutes. It's a direct connection (non stop).
Check out this page rome international airport for more info about the Leonardo express (times, where etc) and getting to and from the airport (also known as Rome International Airport).
Other than the tax everyone pays on their airfare Rome has no additional tourist taxes.
All in all in Rome a lot depends on what you would like to do, how you would like to do , whether you want to rough it or do it in style.
You already have the two biggest expenses paid, your hotel and flights, so I would guestimate for 3 days in Rome Italy (based on the average tourist):
